ravished. If Jasper caught up to them and turned… She could be dead or injured. Turned. He betrayed us, Byron. Jasper risked lives. He risked Dee's life, going off like that! I will never forgive him!'
' Phil , please, I know you are worried, but I do not think Jasper is a threat to her, even if he did come across her in his beast form. He is a studious scholar! Even in wolf form he is more reticent than the others, gentler somehow. This behaviour is uncharacteristic, you know that. But it does not mean he would harm her.'
'So he i s changing! People do! I know he is your friend, but he is also a monster! I will never forgive him if he has hurt her! I was the one who kept telling them that it was an illness and they were not their wolves. But damn it, Byron, he was manhandling her when he was in human form. And he admitted to nearly ravaging her, again in human form, before he regained control. He claimed she was unafraid of him, but how do we know he was telling us the truth? If he would betray us with the key to his cell, then he cannot be trusted at all.' Phil burst into exhausted tears brought on by fear and a long, cold night in the saddle. Byron brought his mount in closer to hers and reached over to take her hand.
'You have been here for such a short time. It is hard for you to understand. They each have a character, a personality in werewolf form. It is often not so different from their human self. I know we can never trust any of them around humans when 'turned', but I know Jasper. I have watched him in and out of werewolf form for two and a half years. If he found her, I do not believe he would hurt her.'
At that moment they reached a bend in the road, and around the corner they saw a dark shape lying in the roadway ahead. They kicked their horses into a canter and reached the body quickly. Byron dismounted and moved closer to get a better look.
‘Oh, Lord help us! It is he , is it not?’ Phil said with disgust, her gorge rising at the bloody sight.
‘Walrus moustache, young and skinny. Most likely. His throat has been torn out. It can only have been done by Jas.’ He looked around at the disturbed snow and the tracks of the carriage. ‘Looks like the carriage left him. Maybe Dee was still on board.’
Phil searched the surrounding area. When she saw tracks heading away from the carriage to their left, she rode over for a closer look.
‘These are the marks of a woman’s skirt dragging through the snow. Look! And here are wolf tracks. Surely this cannot be right.’
Byron walk ed over to her horse and squatted down for a closer inspection. ‘It looks like they are walking together. Off that way…’He pointed into the woods. At that moment, the naked form of Lord Jasper Horton came into view. Phil turned her gaze to the ground.
‘Jas, old man! Are you all right? Is Dee all right? Good Lord, you are freezing!’
Jasper hurried over to the dead body and began tearing off its clothes, with little concern for the bloody corpse. The man was smaller and skinnier than Jasper, but at least having something covering his body seemed to rid him of some of his blue colouring.
‘Jasper, where is Dee? If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you!’ Phil cried in exasperation as she watched him silently putting on the undersized overcoat and fur hat.
Jasper looked up and met her gaze. ‘She is fine. The wolf led her to a nearby cave and used his body to keep her warm all night. She was asleep when I came back to myself and decided I better get some clothes on before she woke up. If you follow my tracks, you will find her. I have to go find Conrad. I tied him up under a rock overhang a few miles away when I felt the change start.’
‘What happened?’ Byron asked.
‘Time for all that later. I will get this body off the road so it does not get found. Then I will go for Conrad. You get Dee. She will be cold without me keeping her warm.’
‘You did not hurt her?’ Phil asked again, still not
' Phil , please, I know you are worried, but I do not think Jasper is a threat to her, even if he did come across her in his beast form. He is a studious scholar! Even in wolf form he is more reticent than the others, gentler somehow. This behaviour is uncharacteristic, you know that. But it does not mean he would harm her.'
'So he i s changing! People do! I know he is your friend, but he is also a monster! I will never forgive him if he has hurt her! I was the one who kept telling them that it was an illness and they were not their wolves. But damn it, Byron, he was manhandling her when he was in human form. And he admitted to nearly ravaging her, again in human form, before he regained control. He claimed she was unafraid of him, but how do we know he was telling us the truth? If he would betray us with the key to his cell, then he cannot be trusted at all.' Phil burst into exhausted tears brought on by fear and a long, cold night in the saddle. Byron brought his mount in closer to hers and reached over to take her hand.
'You have been here for such a short time. It is hard for you to understand. They each have a character, a personality in werewolf form. It is often not so different from their human self. I know we can never trust any of them around humans when 'turned', but I know Jasper. I have watched him in and out of werewolf form for two and a half years. If he found her, I do not believe he would hurt her.'
At that moment they reached a bend in the road, and around the corner they saw a dark shape lying in the roadway ahead. They kicked their horses into a canter and reached the body quickly. Byron dismounted and moved closer to get a better look.
‘Oh, Lord help us! It is he , is it not?’ Phil said with disgust, her gorge rising at the bloody sight.
‘Walrus moustache, young and skinny. Most likely. His throat has been torn out. It can only have been done by Jas.’ He looked around at the disturbed snow and the tracks of the carriage. ‘Looks like the carriage left him. Maybe Dee was still on board.’
Phil searched the surrounding area. When she saw tracks heading away from the carriage to their left, she rode over for a closer look.
‘These are the marks of a woman’s skirt dragging through the snow. Look! And here are wolf tracks. Surely this cannot be right.’
Byron walk ed over to her horse and squatted down for a closer inspection. ‘It looks like they are walking together. Off that way…’He pointed into the woods. At that moment, the naked form of Lord Jasper Horton came into view. Phil turned her gaze to the ground.
‘Jas, old man! Are you all right? Is Dee all right? Good Lord, you are freezing!’
Jasper hurried over to the dead body and began tearing off its clothes, with little concern for the bloody corpse. The man was smaller and skinnier than Jasper, but at least having something covering his body seemed to rid him of some of his blue colouring.
‘Jasper, where is Dee? If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you!’ Phil cried in exasperation as she watched him silently putting on the undersized overcoat and fur hat.
Jasper looked up and met her gaze. ‘She is fine. The wolf led her to a nearby cave and used his body to keep her warm all night. She was asleep when I came back to myself and decided I better get some clothes on before she woke up. If you follow my tracks, you will find her. I have to go find Conrad. I tied him up under a rock overhang a few miles away when I felt the change start.’
‘What happened?’ Byron asked.
‘Time for all that later. I will get this body off the road so it does not get found. Then I will go for Conrad. You get Dee. She will be cold without me keeping her warm.’
‘You did not hurt her?’ Phil asked again, still not
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